Long Island Duck Confit

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Never was something this good this easy! Chef Matthew Murphy served his rich, unctuous signature dish when he came to the Beard House.

Ingredients

8 duck legs

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons garam masala

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

12 to 15 juniper berries

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

6 cups duck fat, or more if needed

Chutney, for serving

Method

Toss the duck legs with the salt and garam masala to coat as evenly as possible. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.

When you are ready to cook the duck, preheat the oven to 275ºF. Use cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni for the garlic, coriander seeds, juniper berries, bay leaves, and herbes de Provence. Melt the duck fat in the oven, in an ovenproof pot that has a lid and that will hold the legs snugly. Immerse the legs in the melted fat. They must be fully immersed; if not, add additional fat. Place the bouquet garni in the pot, cover, and bake for three hours, until the duck legs have shrunk somewhat, are browned, and the bottoms of the leg bones are exposed.

If you’ll be serving the duck later, cool, then refrigerate the duck legs in the fat. Confiting is a traditional preserving technique, and the legs can stay refrigerated in the fat for up to 6 months. When you are ready to serve, remove the legs from the fat. Sauté them in a bit of the fat until they are warmed through and the skin is crisp. Serve the duck with chutney, to cut its richness.